Vol 28, No 1 (2023)

The author undertakes a study of the symbolic-religious conflict, a man and Viy, as a structural and content basis for the integrity of the novella Viy . In Gogol's “paradoxical negative realism”, the “squabbling of life” is depicted from an eschatological perspective. The heterogeneity of the conflict is predetermined by the heterogeneity of Gogol's vision of life: behind the vulgar relations of vulgar people, an existential world, invisible to the characters, shines through, in which an irreal enemy awaits a person in order not to allow this person to avoid meeting with himself. The basis of the conflict of the novella Viy is the subterranean phenomena of the universe, which are at different stages of accepting evil. The mutual negation of the vulgarity of evil (Khoma) and the fantasy of supernatural evil (Viy) does not seem to Gogol absolute, just as the scenario of their movement towards each other does not seem impossible. Analysis of the conflict allows us to assert that Gogol, as a “prophet and philosopher of Orthodox culture”, according to V. Zenkovsky's definition, declares himself already in the story of 1834, and Russian literature owes the “implantation of the religious theme” to this particular work.

The author presents the history of the most significant interpretive transcriptions made by European linguists and medievalists for the monument of early Romanesque lyrics of the 10th century, the anonymous song Phebi claro.. , known under the a posteriori title imposed on it Alba Bilingue . Paying attention to the transcriptions of the text in general, and especially of the refrain, presumably written in Occitan, makes it possible to see the materialized views of their authors on the specifics of the language of the monument, in particular the assignment of word forms to a certain language and the sphere of a certain stylistic coloring (literary speech vs. vernacular speech). This, in turn, makes it possible to understand how each of the researchers saw the whole reconstructed meaning of the song. Attention to the existence of two options for interpreting the text - as a continuation of the Ambrosian allegorical tradition of religious poetry and as a pretext for the secular alba genre in the love lyrics of the troubadours - is drawn, and these options are evaluated. Separately, the verse forms of the monument, to which not enough attention was paid by polemical researchers, are described, and the unity of euphony techniques is stated, which is an important conclusion in the light of the fact that the vast majority of studies usually present Latin couplets and the Romanesque refrain in opposition, reaching the assumption of a late insertion of the refrain. The author pays attention to the lack of unity in the lyrical plot of the monument in view of the fact that the interpreters passed this plot as an obviously important layer of the text by. Also the author points out that in one way or another all interpretations were aimed at simplifying, narrowing the meaning of the monument, which seemed achievable as a result of conjectures, and suggests that contradictions at all levels of the text could be initially set by anonymous author of this song, and linguistic, rhythmic, plot, etc. ambivalence is its essential state, which does not require simplifying, one-sided interpretations.

The role of food culture in the construction of collective identity remains indispensable, considering that it results from consistent and prolonged practice by the given population. In the particular case of postcolonial literature, cultural markers such as food, clothing, rituals etc., act as powerful tools of sociocultural representation. In All Decent Animals (2013) and Buxton Spice (1998), Oonya Kempadoo posits the characters as the embodiments of various levels of association with the traditional culinary practices thereby showing their differential sense of cultural rootedness against the multicultural milieu of the novels’ settings. The study aims to extract such instances from the novels that show the impact of food culture in the creation of a common memory, hearkening back to the shared history of the characters. The authors concluded, that something as mundane as food occupies a pivotal role in co-navigating the characters’ journey from self-doubt to self-acceptance. The effect of food culture in eliciting an inclination towards one’s ethnic roots is considered, while also touching upon the matter of developing a sense of cultural, familial and individual identity by means of foodways.

The authors study the problem of the spread and influential power of the ancient Chinese philosophical treatise by Laozi Tao Te Ching into Russian. The academic value is determined by the deep research interest of Russian Sinologists to the ancient Chinese literary masterpiece. A predetermined cognition of the depth of philosophical discourse and figurativeness of the treatise's language is presented. Its status as a classic work of world literature is confirmed by the number of translations, second only to the Bible. The authors highlight the main stages of interaction between linguocultures on the example of the history of translations of the ancient Chinese treatise Tao Te Ching into Russian, the reasons for the depression and boom of translation activity in connection with a particular historical period, and the significance and relevance of the discursive knowledge of Laozi philosophy in Russia. A positive trend is depicted in increasing the number of studies of Tao Te Ching through the identified research vectors in modern Russian Sinology. The types and features of Tao Te Ching translations into Russian are described and arranged. The openness of philosophical discourse of Tao Te Ching and the importance of academic and popularized translations for discursive study of the ancient Chinese philosophical text in the socio-cultural context by Russian readers are noted. The representation of the profound knowledge of discursive meanings of traditional Chinese culture in the numerous studies of Tao Te Ching by Russian Sinologists is discussed, resulting in the original way of translating this ancient Chinese philosophical treatise into Russian.

The current state of journalism in the Republic of Congo is of particular research interest due to the complex military and political situation in the world in the context of hybrid threats. The purpose of the study is to identify current problems and prospects for the development of journalism in the Republic of Congo. To this end, the background to the formation of journalism in Congo is examined, the media system of the Republic of Congo is characterized, and the system of military sources of information, including the Ministry of Defense magazines Armée et Nation and FAC Infos , is analyzed. A general thesis is put forward that historical background is of great importance for understanding the specifics of journalism: the Republic of Congo has experienced a difficult history, even after gaining independence it had to face severe trials - political crises and civil wars. Therefore, its media system was formed under difficult economic and political conditions. Importantly, the Congolese Armed Forces (FAC) played an important role in the country's destiny as a guarantor of political stability and national security, which actualizes the information component in the work of the Congolese army. The authors emphasize the importance of internal factors influencing the media system: national, linguistic, and cultural. The standard of living of the population, the habits of information product consumption, and the inclusion of the Congolese media system in the media field of the African continent also matter for the development of Congo's journalism.

The authors examine the trends of Iraqi television after 2011, when the national broadcasting reached a new level. During this period, cultural programs with the aim of stabilizing the public mood and moral recovery began to be developed and popularized. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the cultural programs of the Iraqi satellite channel, taking into account the socio-historical background. A general analysis of modern Iraqi television, which was formed after the end of the protracted military conflict with the United States, is given. The general thesis is put forward that the tense military and political situation in Iraq was naturally reflected in the airwaves of TV channels in the country, where the volume of the cultural component is extremely small. As the country goes through the post-war years, stabilizing the public mood is very important, and cultural programs can play an important role in this aspect. Modern Iraqi satellite television is in its formative and developmental stage due to external social and political factors. The research contributes to the development of scientific methodological and theoretical basis for the further study of Iraqi media.

The results of a comparative analysis of the functional features of the QAnon theory and the conceptual signs of ARG (games in alternative reality) are displayed. The signs of ARG are designated and given as elements of the reference game model, the basis for comparison. The authors found that the QAnon conspiracy theory, the history of its emergence and development features is of a synthetic nature: ARG elements are present in modified form. They transform the roles of developers and participants. The QAnon quest structure was visualized, the gameplay based on experiencing the state of apophenia - a painful search for a connection between random phenomena or events - was described. The similarities of QAnon with religion and at the same time political ideology based on the mechanics of the game were identified, which explains its popularity. The relevance of the topic is due to the steady growth in the number of conspiracy theories and their followers since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic against the backdrop of audience distrust in the media. The authors demonstrate how QAnon, not being essentially a game in an alternative reality, but using game technologies and eschatological narratives about the Great Tribulation and Judgment Day, achieves high efficiency in shaping public opinion.

Today social media can be a highly effective tool in business by attracting new customers, getting their feedback, building loyalty, and increasing a company's market reach. However, what happens when it goes wrong? One of the most common problems with social media is that information that was previously private can now be presented to the world by one mouse click. Employees are directly linked to their employers on social media, so if an employee writes a controversial statement online, reputational damage to a company can be devastating. Hence, employees should receive basic social media literacy, to have the proficiency to communicate appropriately and responsibly. The only providers of this educational content for learning and development (L&D) divisions are established media outlets that could force positive changes to the way companies learn. Upskilling and reskilling of employees have become a significant objective in strategic development for many companies, according to LinkedIn research. One-size-fit-for-all training approach is no longer effective. Therefore, even the development of social media literacy skills should be personalized. The study aims to determine: 1) contemporary understanding of media literacy skill in business context; 2) characteristics of the personalized learning (PL) environment that impact on learning outcomes; 3) personalized learning tools. Theoretical analysis is used to identify contemporary empirical studies associated with the implementation of PL in corporate learning between 2018 and 2022.

The study begins with a perilous standpoint of lovely images (female/male/child) in the mass media being regularly developed a formulaic typecasting concept of beauty. Quite a few feminine beauty myths have been grown in India during the contemporary times. The rise of cosmetic herbal advertisements portraying regressive images of womanly beauty to endorse products. Cosmetics perception of herbal integration is observed in respect to beauty myths portrayed by the media. The authors examine the structures of beauty myths of cosmetic herbals in India and their fundamental features. This is because of deep rooted androcentric dogma which portrays and objectifies the certain gender (especially women). Media vehemently disseminates much distorted concept of “beauty”. Brand changes their entire appearance with varied makeup products. There are evidently many products are available in the market which promises to bring a change in color/look/appearance altogether which is not always true but the study argues that the narratives of these cosmetic herbal products is creating an illusion. Roland Barthes's theory of mythology has been taken into consideration to understand the luxury of myth, and attributes of misleading information of media content. The study further directs to assimilate the perception of the consumers along with the semiology in depicting the beauty myth. There is a huge gap between women in reality and representative women in the mass media. It is very crucial to have a balanced perception of perceived images presented or drive by the mass media.

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